CH 14

“In my opinion, it seems that Thiel has manifested the ability of light.”

“… What?”

Silence fell in the office.

Only the ticking of the clock’s second hand, the rolling of the locket in Cassius’ hand, and the clicking of the lid resonated throughout the office.

It was Alpheus who spoke first.

He looked at his son with an expression of disbelief and asked in a trembling voice,

“Really? Did you see it with your own eyes?”

“Yes.”

Without any hesitation, Cassius nodded his head.

“I saw it correctly.”

The basement where he had discovered Thiel was excessively dark, quiet, and pitch black in all directions, making it impossible to miss.

The fragments of light emerged violently in her small hands.

Taking the form of a fish, then a leopard, scattering like a handful of wind, swelling brightly as if it could engulf a child.

Although it was only for a brief moment, the immense light that illuminated the entire basement was undoubtedly the power possessed by the child.

In response to Cassius’ answer, Alpheus muttered in disbelief.

“The ability of light… then the legends were true after all…”

In this Krasion Empire, there was a legend passed down from long ago.

It was about the “Child with the ability of light” who received the protection of the god of light, ‘Lucet.’

The legend had two contents. One was that the child with the ability of light would call forth morning in the land where the morning never comes. The other was that the child with the ability to light would overcome the long darkness and maintain the balance between light and darkness.

The era where the legend existed only as a legend had already passed.

Except for a few who remembered the legend, everyone had long forgotten about it. No one believed that the “ability of light” from the legend really existed.

However, ‘My granddaughter has manifested the ability of light.’

Manifesting the ability of light was not merely a remarkable matter to be trivialized.

‘It’s quite troublesome.’

The ability of light from the legend. Once it became known that someone possessed that ability, not only the Nestian family but also the royal family, and the temples, everyone would undoubtedly try to take Thiel away.

Because a child with the ability of light had such a far-reaching impact.

However, that was not the main concern for Alpheus and Cassius at the moment.

Because of Astarian…

As the sole ducal family guarding the empire and possessing the most powerful ability among the existing abilities, the flame ability, the Black Crest family, no one would dare to touch Astarian, whether Thiel had the ability of light or not.

As long as it was not a matter of risking their lives, that is.

Therefore, Alpheus was not concerned about the complications that would arise from the news of Thiel manifesting the ability of light. There was something more important than that.

It was none other than a hidden legend.

Alongside the legend of the “Child of Light,” a legend that had been passed down only among the Panthera tribe.

‘Astarian and Nestian shall regain their original power with the glorious light.’

In the era where the “ability of light” was treated as a frivolous legend, even those who remembered it were becoming scarce.

At this point, only the Nestian and Asterian families and their successors, including Cassius, knew about this legend.

Alpheus closed his eyes as if he needed time to think and muttered, “The original power…”

The original power…if that’s the case, could that child really eliminate the “curse” of the Asterian family?

If that were really the case…

Then Cassius, who had caught Alphius’ thoughts, let out a short sigh and spoke up, “It’s best not to burden the child.”

“…”

“The legend is just a legend, Father,” said the voice firmly. It seemed to imply that no one should burden Thiel.

Even if it was my father, Alpheus Ewald Asterian, the head of the Asterian family.

Alpheus slowly nodded his head and tilted his teacup.

“Yes.”

The legend is just a legend…

***

In the office of Zender Nestian, the head of the Nestian family.

“You still haven’t found her? Useless fools!”

Zender Nestian, the head of the Nestian family, shouted in anger. His face flushed red with rage, veins popping on his forehead and neck.

Zender glared at the captain of the knights who reported that they hadn’t found Thiel, recalling his missing granddaughter, who had disappeared without a trace. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

‘That brat… Just wait until I catch her.’

He would show her the consequences so that she would never dare to pull such a stunt again.

After Thiel disappeared, Zender imprisoned the maids who failed to properly monitor her in the underground dungeon.

Despite this, Zender was not appeased. He threatened to cut the salary of Zayra, Rowan’s nanny who claimed to have last encountered Thiel, and even fire her if they couldn’t find Thiel.

Zender had always lived with the notion of dealing with Thiel. But this time, the situation was different.

‘If Astarian were to realize she’s alive…’

If it were revealed that Nestian had been hiding and raising Thiel, Astarian would undoubtedly not remain idle.

Thiel was Lena’s child, but at the same time, he was the child of Cassius Celeste Asterian.

They had to find her quickly before Astarian discovered Thiel’s existence!

Zender pressed his throbbing forehead and opened his eyes wide. He was furious to the core with the incompetence of the knights, who still hadn’t found Thiel.

At the same time, the image of Lena, Thiel’s mother, and Zender’s daughter, overlapped with the sight of Thiel disappearing in a flash.

Lena, suddenly fell in love with that scoundrel from Cassius Celeste Asterian, disappeared in a flash, leaving her family behind.

She pretended to be naive and docile, but the fact that she disappeared without a trace was just like Lena.

If she was going to take after her mother, she could have inherited her genius-freezing ability.

Of all things, why did she have to inherit that trait?

While the captain of the Nesterian Knights was stuttering in front of her, Zender, who had been acting confident, was momentarily lost in thought.

‘Why haven’t they found her yet?’

It had already been a week since Thiel had gone missing. All of the servants and knights in Nestrian had thoroughly searched the mansion to find her, but…

‘I’m sorry. We couldn’t find her.’

‘We couldn’t find her.’

‘There’s no trace even in the guesthouse…’

They couldn’t find Thiel anywhere.

For a whole week, she hadn’t eaten or properly used the restroom, so if she was hiding inside the mansion, there should have been some trace of her found anywhere.

‘There’s not even a trace.’

That meant that Thiel might have escaped from the mansion.

‘This is annoying…’

Zender clicked his tongue in frustration. It was regrettable that he had missed the opportunity to deal with it when he had the chance.

The only consolation was that Thiel was only seven years old, and the Néstien mansion was surrounded by a snow-covered wilderness that was difficult for even adults to traverse.

Therefore,

“Ha… thoroughly search outside the mansion. Even if she went outside, she couldn’t have gone far.”

“Yes!”

In response to Zender’s command, the knight commander, who had been standing with an uncomfortable expression, quickly replied and swiftly left the office.

Zender stood by the window overlooking the snow-covered wilderness and silently gazed at the falling snowflakes.

If she had gone outside the mansion, she would undoubtedly be dead.

Nestian’s snowy plains were so vast and severe that even adult Snow Leopards would get lost and freeze to death.

Moreover, Thiel was just a seven-year-old child with short fur due to her mixed blood of black and snow leopard, and she couldn’t withstand the cold.

So maybe…

“If she had gone out, she would have died.”

Zender stared at the snowy plains with a cold gaze. The voice that murmured that it was better that way was calm.

In that voice, there was no trace of regret or sadness.

“Well, it’s better that way.”

He was at a loss as to how to deal with the thorn in his side that he couldn’t kill directly because of his own bloodline, and he couldn’t send her back to Asterian either.

If she had gone out and died on her own, it would have been better.

Under Zender Nestian’s command, the Nestian knights who were thoroughly searching inside the mansion expanded their search radius to the snowy plains outside the mansion.

The order given to them was to “retrieve the body, even if she’s dead.”

And…

“If she’s alive, eliminate her immediately.”

The knights, who received the order to kill a mere seven-year-old child, looked up at the Nestian mansion as if they had made a promise.

A blue velvet curtain was hung on the window of Nestian’s family office.